AFTER HAN MAN-DAL MADE HIS BREAKTHROUGH A WEEK AGO, IT WAS THE TURN OF FELLOW TRAINING NEWCOMER CHA WOO-HO, TO CELEBRATE HIS STABLE’S 1ST WINNER. Cha saddled COMPLETE TURBO (by Gemologist) to score by three-lengths in Sunday’s race 3 at Seoul (1300M Class 6) under Lim Gi-won. It had been a long wait for Cha who had sent out forty runners before getting one home on top but has already scored plenty of placings.
Yoo Seung-wan also reached a milestone in the capital on Sunday with the jockey riding his 600th career winner as CHRYSOL STEP (Chrysolite) obliged in race 6 (1700M Class 5). Winner number 601 duly arrived in race 9 (1400M Class 3) as IMRO (Federalist) got the best of Queen Dia and East Gangjeok to record a fifth win at start thirteen. Jockey Yoo debuted in 2007 and is best known for his association with champion mare Silver Wolf – of whom more later.
Johan Victoire registered a Sunday double. After four near-misses, the Luigi Riccardi-trained UNICORN ACE (Race Day) made no mistake in race 7 (1200M Class 5) leading all the way around for a facile five-length victory. Victoire followed up in the last of the day when GWANAKSAN SKY (Concord Point) added to his burgeoning reputation.
Gwanaksan Sky was 9th in the Korean Derby but that’s one of only two defeats so far. His Sunday win was his sixth from eight starts and his second at class 3.
Franco Da Silva was also among the winners at Seoul on Sunday. The Brazilian jockey navigated 13.2 INSPIRE (Uncaptured) to the lead from the widest gate and then comfortably held off his rivals in race 5 (1300M Class 5).
Earlier SAMJEONG RACE (Race Day) was a dominant ten-length winner of race 1 (1000M Class 6), breaking through at start two having run 2nd on debut. Kim Yong-geun was aboard. Race 2 (1300M Class 6) saw RAON THE RIPON (Musket Man) get his first victory at start four under Choi Bum-hyun, similarly racing on the speed throughout.
Jockey Choi would later complete a double as POWER JILJU (Afleet Express) took race 8 (1700M Class 4), getting the better of favourite Beolgyo Aladdin by a length-and-a-quarter.
Other winners on the card were EXCALIBUR (Peace Rules), who pulled out a narrow win in race 4 (1400M Class 5) under Jo Jae-ro, while BYEOKSONG (Revolutionary) was the longest priced winner on the card, returning 21.6 to those who backed her to win the all0filly race 10 (1200M Class 4) with Kim Seong-hyun aboard.
ON SUNDAY AT YEONGCHEON, RACE 3 (2000M Class 4) saw the first use of the 2000M distance at the new track, and it proved an exciting finish as HONORED KHAN (Take Charge Indy) overturned the form on Geuma Gutty to win by half a length. Eowadungdung and Doctor Captain completed a top four comprised of those who finished 2nd to 5th at Yeongcheon over 1800M on October 4th with just the top two reversed. Lee Sung-jae was aboard the winner.
That was the second of a double for jockey Lee as he earlier rode odds-on favourite TRIPLE J (Gyeongbudaero) to win race 1 (1200M Class 5). Race 2 saw a tight finish as OAK RIDGE TESTA MATTA) saw off Dongnam Dolpung by a nose under Jeon Jin-gu.
It was unlikely that Seo Seung-un was going to draw a blank on a visit to Yeongcheon and he duly got his winner in race 4 (1200M Class 4) as AEGIS CROWN (Shackleford) recorded his third consecutive win, and fourth in total, for trainer Bart Rice.
The other winners on the card were WORLD DANCER CAT (Musket Man) in race 5 (1400M Class 4) with Choi Eun-gyeong aboard, and DAESEONG GOLD (Uncaptured), who rounded out the card with an all the way victory in race 6 (1400M Class 3).
THERE MAY BE SOME DEBATE IN AUSTRALIA AS TO WHO IS THE TRULY GREAT AUSSIE MARE BUT IN KOREA THERE IS NO SUCH CONTROVERSY. Silver Wolf (by Oratorio) won seventeen times over a thirty-seven-race career, with seven of those wins coming at Group level. On Saturday she produced her first winner as SILVER WAVE (Medici Glory) broke through at start two in race 1 (1000M Class 6), under Jang Chu-youl. Silver Wave is trained by Song Moon-gil, who also trained Silver Wolf.
Jang is currently in 2nd place in the Seoul Jockey Premiership, and he added to his tally with victory in race 9 (1800M Class 3) on MY MUNNINGS (Munnings), the US import getting his third career win at start number fifteen.
However, Jang remains a full ten-winners behind leader Kozzi Asano, who rode a Saturday double. Asano got his first of the day in race 3 (1700M Class 6) aboard favourite GEUMSEONG BULPAE (Cowboy Cal) and then added to it on Tony Castanheira’s UNICA (Hansen) in race 7 (1600M Class 4).
In the Trainer’s Premiership, Luigi Riccardi leads the way by six and he was on the boar don Saturday with UNICORN PRINCE (Gemologist), who was a front-running winner of race 4 (1600M Class 6) under Jeong Jeong-hee. Jockey Jeong would complete a race-to-race double as POWERFUL KNIGHT (New Legend) struck by four-lengths in race 5 (1400M Class 5).
CHEONMAUI HANSEONG (Nitrous) was a maiden winner of race 2 (1400M Class 6) with apprentice jockey Woo In-cheol moving to withing five winners of riding out his claim, while CRAZY CHAMP (K TAP) was the all the way winner of the all filly and mare race 6 (1200M Class 5). Kim Tae-hui was aboard.
The other two races on Saturday’s program saw favourite MANGEUM CROWN (Vics) oblige by six-lengths in race 4 (1700M Class 4) while FAIR SKIES (Midshipman) was a shock winner of the concluding race 10 (1400M Class 2), returning a dividend of 36.1. Kim Jeomg-jun and apprentice Kwon Jung-seok were abord those winners.
THERE WERE A FULL 10-RACES AT BUSAN ON FRIDAY AND THE STANDOUT WAS THE RETURN OF SAESIDAE WON (GUNNEVERA). The US import won his first two starts in the early spring by a combined twenty-one-lengths but hadn’t raced since. The Moon Hyeon-cheol trainee won an October trial and returned to action in race 5 (1600M Class 3) and comfortably took his record to three from three, scoring by three-lengths under Jin Kyum.
Seo Seung-un rode three winners on what was generally a low-key day of racing. He kicked off in race 2 (1600M) class 4 with KING BLACK (Power Blade) who reversed the form on Yongbi Shark, who had beaten him the last time they met a month ago. The Thomas Gillespie trained King Black got the best of tight finish by a nose to record his third win in twelve starts
Race 6 (1300M) Class 6) saw Seo ride his second winner as favourite OASIS YEONGCHEON (To Honor And Serve) obliged in facile manner by seven-lengths to get his maiden victory at start four. Seo’s treble was completed in race 9 (1400M Class 5) as after four placings, Bart Rice’s JEONGMUN SKIP (Colors Flying) made his breakthrough at the eleventh time of asking. Favourite Breathless, who entered one for one, finished well back.
Oasis Hansen was first across the line but in race 4 (1200M Class 6) but after an inquiry was thrown out after being adjudged to have caused an incident 300M from the line that resulted in Jung Do-yun being unseated from the second-favourite Breedo Samson. In his place, favourite MODERN BOY (Hansen) was promoted to 1st. Jockey Jung was transported to hospital and while he escaped any fractures, is being treated for a suspected lacerated kidney.
Modern Boy’s promotion meant a second winner on the day for jockey Park Jae-I, who earlier rode TOHAMSAN STAR (Musket Man) to a six-length victory in the opening race 1 (1000M Class 6).
Seo Gang-ju rode a race-to-race double with FLYING SKY (Chrysolite) swooping late for a five-length victory in race 7 (1600M Class 6) before BORYEONGUI SINYONG (Race Day) took a similarly comfortable win in what had looked like a wide-open race 8 (1600M Class 5).
Jo In-kwon became the third jockey on the day to complete his double. Having guided favourite P.D SPECIAL (Shackleford) to an all the way win in race 3 (1600M Class 4), he concluded the card by partnering SINCHEON FREEDOM (Shackleford) to an on-pace victory in the all-filly race 10 (1300M Class 5). Favourite High Beauty, returning from over six-months out, also showed on the early speed but faded for 5th.
Juveniles will take centre-stage this coming weekend, with big races for the two-year-olds at Busan on Friday and Seoul on Sunday.
